Growing Pains
by Verdant Phoenix
Summary: "I think I've been in love with you since the day you knocked me out the tree with an apple." Who said growing up was easy? Especially when your best friends are the Marauders. AU. No Time Travel.
1. Chapter 1

"_In prehistoric times, mankind often had only two choices in crisis situations: fight or flee. In modern times, humor offers us a third alternative; fight, flee - or laugh.__" – Robert Orben_

* * *

By the time she was nine years old, Hermione Jean Granger already knew she was destined to be great.

At least, that is what she kept repeating to herself in her head as her father cursed her existence and said how she was a waste of time and money and that he had never wanted children but if she just _had _to be born why could she not have been born a boy?

Having had years of this abuse screamed at her, Hermione did not let it bother her much. She knew she was a failure and had already berated herself for the single B plus on an otherwise straight A grade report so she just let her father's words wash over her. That did not mean what he said did not hurt… but she learned long ago that tears would only enrage him even more.

If there was one thing her father hated more than mediocrity, it was weakness.

Dan Granger had grown up as the youngest of four boys and his bookish ways as well as scrawny build meant he got picked on a lot by his more athletic brothers. He endeavored to be better than them and he ended up becoming a very popular cosmetic surgeon who was sought after by the wealthy and celebrities. If his clients demanded no less than perfection from him, he expected no less than perfection from his family.

"We will not accept failure in this house. Your mother and I spend more money than we should on you and we expect that you will pay us back for all our hard work. That won't happen with these grades and I refuse to spend my hard-earned money or allow anyone unworthy to live under my roof. Do you understand?" Dan said coldly, holding her crumpled grade report in a tight white knuckled fist.

Hermione wondered if one day he would get angry enough and actually hit her. She would not put it past him.

"Yes father, I understand." Hermione said in a calm voice. As she did a slight curtsy she happened to catch the eye of her mother who was standing in the doorway to her father's private study. As usual, she refused to look Hermione in the eye.

Emma Granger was an only child of an upper class family who owned several chains of hotels. Being an heiress and very beautiful with straight brown hair and large expressive green eyes, Emma was the epitome of a trophy wife so her parents expected her to marry well. They even had hopes that she would marry into the British Royal Family.

Marrying the handsome and distinguished Dan Granger was almost as good as a wealthy Lord with a list of titles so Emma decided to push her parents' aspirations for her onto her future children, even though Dan had been adamant that he did not want children for at least their first ten years together if at all.

She had been beyond ecstatic when she found out after seven years of marriage that she was pregnant and almost delirious when she found out she was having a girl. With Dan wanting as little to do with their child except that she should never negatively impact their social image, Emma put her plans into action as soon as little Hermione was born.

A premier private school for the gifted where Hermione would rub elbows with the future movers and shakers of their country, lessons for ballroom dancing, French and Latin as well as etiquette; Emma was determined that her daughter would be somebody.

Despite being thrilled at how fast Hermione soaked up this knowledge and retained it, Emma could not help but be heavily disappointed in her daughter's looks.

She often wondered if she should've just never had a child.

"I expect better from you Hermione in the fall quarter. Do not disappoint me." Dan finished gruffly before rising from his black leather ottoman chair. Already dressed in a dark blue Armani suit with sterling silver cufflinks, he grabbed his briefcase, nodded at his wife and strode out the front door to go to work.

It was silent for a moment, as Hermione kept trying to force her mother to look at her and Emma refused to.

"Breakfast is ready." Emma finally said, turning around sharply and walking down the hall to the kitchen. Hermione sighed quietly and smoothed out the imaginary wrinkles in her tan and white checkered sundress. By the time she slid into her seat at the small island counter that jutted out from the wall, a plate of toast with grape jelly and a poached egg along with orange juice was waiting.

Her parents preferred to take their meals in the formal dining room while Hermione ate alone in the kitchen. She liked it a lot better, the few times she had eaten with her parents the silence was so suffocating she felt like she might choke to death on the lump that rose in her throat.

Hermione often wondered what it felt like to be loved. Well for a year or two she had her nanny Nicole, a very young and blonde French woman who would give her hugs, tuck her in at night and comfort her with kisses when people would pick on her looks and that she was a know-it-all.

"Mon Cheri, I love you very much." Nicole would always say and clean her face of tear streaks before making her whatever dessert she wanted. Hermione loved being called Mon Cheri because she felt like she meant something to someone finally.

Hermione actually was physically ill for two weeks when her stone-faced mother informed her that the "French tart" was the day after Hermione had heard her father making Nicole cry hysterically behind the locked door of his private office.

Hermione was interrupted by her musings when her mother came into the kitchen with her plate and she quickly finished her juice before hopping down to bring her own plate to the sink. Emma still refused to make eye contact as she took Hermione's plate and said, "I'm going to run a few errands today and neither your father nor I will be home until it is time for supper. Since it's the first day of your summer holiday, you may do as you wish up until that time."

"Yes Mother." Hermione said before rushing out the kitchen and down two hallways before running up three flights of the white marble staircase to her room on the uppermost level of the house.

There was only one large central room on the third floor of the house with a single bathroom attached to it. The walls were painted a soft pale green with caramel colored hardwood floors and a white door that led to the small balcony that overlooked the backyard. There were several floors to ceiling windows with white billowing curtains that made the room seem more airy.

A large queen sized been with a lavender and rose patterned bedspread was in the middle of the room against the wall with thick white canopy curtains for privacy. Emma had a white princess-like vanity with a large mirror set up filled to the brim with makeup and other beauty accessories only to be disappointed that Hermione didn't even touch it.

She spent most of her time in her slightly bedraggled maroon beanbag chair that sat next to the huge bookshelves that lined one whole wall of her room. Her mother had almost had a heart attack when Hermione had brought the thing home from their neighbors down the street's curbside trash.

Hermione went to her closet and put on her tan sun hat with a white ribbon tied around it and grabbed a tote bag to put books in. She went to her mini fridge and gathered some snacks before looking in the mirror at herself.

"Am I really that ugly?" Hermione asked her reflection. It didn't answer her with words but instead showed her appearance. Mousy brown hair that curled into a tangled mess and dull brown eyes with pale skin that burned easy in the sun and splotchy freckles covered her face. Her nose was too small for her face and she was chubby for her age especially compared to her doll-like classmates. Large buckteeth came into existence when she opened her mouth and her eyelashes were way too long.

"I guess I am." Hermione said slightly sad but she straightened herself up and repeated her mantra. "I'm smart, I'm dedicated and I'm destined for greatness."

* * *

Making sure her keys were in her bag before she left, Hermione walked down the three blocks to Islington Park, humming a little jingle she had heard several times from a commercial on the telly. Despite the attitude of her parents and peers, Hermione was a rather cheerful girl although she did have terrible self-esteem issues once someone pointed out her self-perceived flaws.

Her usual perch was a small grey bench that was somewhat on the very edge of the park, deep enough where the hustle and bustle of cars didn't bother her but close enough to run to safety should anything happen. Unfortunately there were several kids her age playing by her bench and Hermione slightly hesitated.

"Get a grip!" Hermione whispered under her breath and squeezed the straps of her tote bag as she drew closer to the children. Upon seeing her, the kids stopped playing and looked at her with various expressions of confusion, expectancy and something that bordered on hostility.

Hermione swallowed and offered them a shaky smile. "Greetings, my name is Hermione and I w-was wondering if I could… have my spot please."

One girl stepped forward and with blond ringlets she looked identical to the same kids that bullied her at school.

"I don't see your name on it. So it's not your spot." She said rudely. Hermione pursed her lips.

"But it's where I always sit to read." One boy with brown hair and angry green eyes snorted. "Who reads at the park?" Some of his friends laughed and Hermione felt ashamed to feel the heat that was beginning to flush her face.

"Well I- "Why don't you just go away freak. We don't want you here." The blond girl interrupted her. The other children agreed and started saying their own slurs.

"Ugly!"

"Freak!"

"She probably doesn't have any friends."

"Freak!"

"Aw look at the baby cry!"

Hermione couldn't take any more and as the first tears fell she spun on her heel and ran deeper into the park. Their words echoed in her head and only seemed to confirm what her parents would tell her with their eyes and how they treated her. No one loved her and no one cared about her.

She was too ugly for love.

Hermione didn't stop running until she almost ran into a large tree. She looked around with blurry eyes and saw that she seemed to be at the very center of the park, farther than she had ever been, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

She dropped to her knees and snatched off her bag to look for some tissues as she continued to cry and hiccup softly.

"Uhm… are you okay?"

Hermione looked up and saw a boy about her age standing in front of her awkwardly shifting from one foot to the next. He was wearing blue jeans and a white t-shirt and was carrying what looked like a thick black coat in his arms. He had straight black hair that came to his ears and slightly concerned grey eyes. Funny, she didn't see him in the group that she just ran from.

Hermione swallowed thickly and turned her head. "If you followed me all this way just to call me names, go on ahead and get it over. I doubt there's anything you can say that I haven't already heard."

The boy's eyebrow furrowed. "Why would I call you names? I don't even know you."

"It hasn't stopped anyone before!" Hermione retorted and ducked her head as a new batch of tears sprang forth. Where were her tissues?!

"Well whoever called you a name is stupid. You don't seem too bad to me." Hermione rolled her eyes. "I'm ugly, I'm a freak and I have no friends."

Hermione started when the boy squatted down to her level and peered intently into her teary eyes. She flushed but continued to keep up eye contact with the strange boy and waited for him to inevitably see what so many other people apparently saw.

"You don't look ugly to me." He declared and stood up. Hermione gaped at him rather unladylike as he dropped his coat on the grass and started climbing what she saw was now a large oak tree with its lowest branches starting merely a foot off the ground. He pulled out a bright red apple from his pocket and tossed it toward the shocked girl before pulling one out for himself.

"What do you mean I don't look ugly?! Of course I look ugly!" Hermione yelled. She gripped the apple tightly and stood up when the boy merely smirked at her.

"You said you were ugly and I looked at you and said you weren't ugly. Simple." He shrugged as he took a large bite of his snack. Hermione couldn't believe him, how dare he mock her?!

"Don't lie to me! Tell me I'm ugly!" Hermione ordered and the boy looked at her with shock and amusement. "You know… you're the first girl I've met that's told me to call her ugly."

Hermione felt her temper flare up and all the etiquette lessons fly out the window. She swore she was seeing red.

"Don't lie to me!" The boy now frowned at her. "I'm not lying. You aren't ugly."

Hermione stamped her foot and the boy snickered. "Well, somebody has a temper."

Hermione didn't mean to, she really didn't but he just infuriated her so much… that she acted without thinking. Just as the boy went to take another bite of his apple, Hermione's own apple connected directly to his forehead, causing him to fall off his branch.

Hermione gasped and grabbed her skirt as she ran over, praying he wasn't injured. Except for the small red spot where the apple had hit that he was gingerly rubbing, he was alright and was looking up at her with a look of shock, delight and slight awe.

"I'm so sorry! I don't know what came over me!" Hermione said quickly as she helped him up. He shook his head and held out his hand.

"I'm sorry for not introducing myself first. My name is Sirius Black." Hermione grabbed his hand and felt her face heat up as bowed slightly and kissed her hand.

"My name is Hermione-" Sirius held up a finger and grinned. "Since you decided to attack me, I think it's only fair I call you what I want."

Hermione eyed him warily and somewhat wearily but she nodded.

"I'm going to call you fire cracker!"

And so starts a friendship.

* * *

Trying something new that I've yet to see in all the Harry Potter fanfiction I've read and yes I will begin to update my older stories! Tell me what you think! Any ideas or things you'd like to see, just let me know!

Your reviews channel my imagination

- Verdant


	2. Chapter 2

_My own experience is that everybody is born with a certain talent, and unless he lives that talent to its fullest, something in him will remain missing. He will go on feeling that somehow something is not there that should be._ – Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh

* * *

Orion Black was not exactly the strong cold hearted Head of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black that he portrayed himself to be.

_Toujours Purs_ - Always Pure was his family's motto and with that came with a certain reputation and expectations. As Head of one of the oldest pure blood wizarding families in Britain with a perchance for Dark magic, it was crucial to keep up appearances.

You never truly knew who was the enemy and those who would kiss you on the cheek and call you friend one day may very well be the ones who stab you in the back in the dark of night.

Unlike many of his so-called "friends" Orion Black didn't hate muggles.

That's not to say that he would be best friends with any of them anytime soon but he found them to be rather interesting and some of their inventions were actually bloody brilliant. Hence the reason, besides the mansion being in his family for generations, that Grimmauld Place continued to be in a muggle neighborhood rather than building a new home somewhere closer to the wizarding community.

Orion even had a small technology business he had started a few years ago and a bit of stock invested in several muggle companies that was doing quite well actually. He was a business-man after all and it wouldn't be prudent, let alone profitable-if he ignored potential money simply because of blood status.

Of course his wife Walburga had tried to put down her foot when he had installed muggle telephones in his personal study, the kitchen and the sitting room, spending a week with his eldest working on the charms that would allow the phones to work in a magical environment.

She was always grumbling about him passing his muggle-loving sentiments on their children and seeing as Sirius had already begun to explore the mysteries of the muggle world, Walburga kept their youngest son Regulus under her wing to nurture him into the proper upstanding pureblood.

That was alright. He much preferred Sirius anyways despite his eldest son's tendencies to be at the heart of the almost daily mischief in their home. Even if it did result in Walburga exercising her lungs time and again.

So it was somewhat surprising that on a warm late afternoon Orion realized with some alarm that Sirius hadn't caused anything destructive to happen in almost three weeks. He pushed away from his desk where he had been going over his stock figures and sank into his high-backed black leather seat. Tapping his quill on his desk thoughtfully, Orion ran a hand through his inky hair.

Now that he thought about, he hadn't really seen Sirius that often either besides at breakfast and even then he scarfed down his food, ignored his mother's reprimands over his table manners and dashed out the door.

Sirius didn't come in the door until just after sunset in time for dinner which wasn't rather conducive to inquiries about where he had been all day. There was a silent rule that there be no unnecessary, as determined by Walburga, conversation at the dinner table.

Glancing out the window, Orion saw that it was about a little after the time Sirius usually came in so he left his study in search of his son. Perhaps that would take a quick trip to Zonko's before dinner and he would allow Sirius to purchase some of those pranking toys he was so fond of.

"Walburga, has Sirius come home yet?" Orion asked as he strode into the kitchen. His willowy wife pursed her lips and took a sip of her tea seemingly contemplating her answer. Walburga Black, matriarch of the esteemed Black family was regarded as the quintessential pureblood wife, a woman that all present and future generations of witches should aspire to be. Too bad they had never heard her shrieks, Orion thought wryly.

"Our _son_," She spoke with an irritated inflection on the last word, "is still out gallivanting in the streets as if he has no sense of propriety."

Orion silently sighed, not wishing to have another argument. He had learned from how his own parents were and in the early days of his own marriage that sometimes it was easier to just go along with things. It saved time, energy and there was a thrill when you did what you want right under people's noses with them none the wiser. Plus, the woman knew how to hold a grudge although Sirius' rambunctiousness did not help matters.

Orion nodded in acknowledgement and Walburga bowed her head slightly before turning to continue to oversee their house-elf Kreacher prepare dinner.

He walked back into the foyer and stroked his black beard somewhat worried. The sky was a burnt orange-red as the sun was setting against the horizon and he could see through the window that shadows were beginning to appear on the streets as people hurried to their homes or to finish their business.

Where was Sirius?

Just then the muggle telephone rang and Orion hurried to his private study off of the sitting room to take the call. "Black Residence. How may I help you?"

"Is this Mr. Black? This is Officer Givens. I'm calling in regards to your son, Sirius Black."

Orion slumped into his chair as an invisible hand gripped his heart and sent sharp jolts through his body with each beat. Horror at what may have happened made Orion Black's voice sharp.

"What's happened to my son?"

The officer on the other line must have realized what he was thinking and quickly reassured Orion. "Your son is alive and well Mr. Black. He's been in our care for a couple hours and we would've called soon but he didn't remember your house number at first and you're not listed in the phone book either."

Orion uttered a small sigh of relief and breathed deeply before speaking once again. "Just exactly how did my son end up in your care?"

Officer Givens chuckled. "He got into a fight with the older brother of a boy that was messing with him and his friend at the park. We just so happened to be patrolling near that area and broke them up. Your son gave both boys a black eye and I believe the older one may have a broken nose. We would've just let him go with a warning but the mother insisted on trying to press charges."

Orion sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Walburga would have his head if she found out. He prayed to Merlin that Sirius hadn't used any magic in front of the muggles; that would make things a bit more complicated than it could possibly already be with a potential lawsuit.

"We aren't going to allow the charges to be pressed since your son didn't start the fight, but we do need you to come down here and sign some forms however and then you can take the children home with you."

"I shall be there in a short while Officer Givens. Thank you."

The police officer said the proper goodbyes and Orion hung up before massaging his temples. He just had to jinx himself by wondering what Sirius was up too didn't he? Suddenly Orion looked up sharply and furrowed his brow.

Children?

* * *

Orion was not quite sure what he was expecting when he walked into the police department a half hour later after apparating and then walking several blocks so as not to look suspicious.

Seeing his wild son sitting next to a young girl on a wooden bench jumping up and down while wearing a black police hat was not exactly the scene he pictured that's for sure. Orion smirked slightly as he saw his son was talking animatedly to a middle aged police woman who was blushing like a school girl and had been charmed out of her head protection.

With slightly shaggy black hair that reached the bottom of his ears, bright grey eyes, sinful long eyelashes that weren't fit for a boy and aristocratic features that bellied his noble heritage, Sirius Orion Black the Third was definitely someone that made heads turn.

It was no doubt in his father's mind that he would be talking to his son about broom sticks and quidditch goal posts before he left for Hogwarts.

"You must be Mr. Black I presume?"

Orion met the eyes of the still pink police officer that Sirius had been talking to and put on the trademark Black smirk.

"Yes. Officer Givens correct?" She nodded and if possible she turned pinker when Orion gently grasped her hand and pressed a kiss to it. "I'm terribly sorry for any inconvenience or trouble my son has put you through."

She waved her hand and giggled slightly. "Your son was no trouble at all Mr. Black. He's quite the charmer actually."

After signing the necessary paperwork and beckoning Sirius to come along, Orion was slightly surprised to see his son grab the hand of the brown haired girl that had been sitting quietly on the bench with him and drag her along.

"Dad, this is Kitten. Kitten this is Hermione." Sirius said almost proudly. Orion raised an eyebrow; he knew Sirius loved muggle culture but it had never occurred to him that Sirius would actually be friends with one. This slip of a girl was shy and was in that awkward ugly duckling phase most children seemed to go through before they matured and grew into their looks.

It was almost a pity that Orion wouldn't get to see what the muggle girl would look like once she matured since it was unlikely Sirius would keep in contact with her once he went to Hogwarts next September. The girl hadn't looked at him since he had arrived and he had trouble seeing how his outgoing son was friends with such an introverted person.

Imagine how taken aback the elder Black was when the girl raised her head and seemed to come _alive_ as she growled at his suddenly nervous son and shoved him hard.

"My name is Hermione!" She yelled and Sirius quickly put his hands up in surrender. The girl huffed and as her brown eyes met his dark grey ones, she remembered where she was and who she was in front of as she squeaked and covered her red face.

"I'm so sorry Mr. Black!" She sputtered and turned even redder when Sirius snickered. Orion chuckled and shook his head.

"It is quite alright my dear. I understand the temptation to kill Sirius." He said dryly before sending a look that let his son know he was still in trouble. Satisfied that Sirius was sufficiently cowed, Orion led the two out the police department and flagged down a taxi.

"Why did your parents not come to the police department to get you Hermione?" Orion asked after telling the cab driver the little girl's address. His interest was piqued even further when Sirius scowled slightly and the girl fiddled with the hem of her blue sundress.

"They're in France until tomorrow sir." She said quietly and Orion looked confused. "None of your relatives that you are staying with could not have come for you?"

"She's staying in the house by herself Dad." Sirius bit out angrily and Hermione gave him a slightly distressed look before putting her head down. Orion couldn't help but be annoyed; muggle or not what kind of parents left their child in a house by themselves while they were out of the country?

"They've only been gone for three days sir. And there's plenty of food for me. It's not like it's the first time they've been gone."

Orion found his scowl matching his son's but seeing Hermione was only becoming more distressed, he smoothed his features quickly. A small elbow jabbed him in the ribs and Sirius looked at him pleadingly while discreetly nodding his head at the pensive girl who was looking out the window sadly.

Orion sighed. He could already hear Walburga's screeching.

* * *

"You let a _muggle_ child in Grimmauld Place?! Have you lost your mind?!"

Orion finished his glass of Ogden's Finest and quickly poured himself another as he leaned back in his chair. Walburga's face looked even more hawkish than before due to her thin stature and he ideally found himself wondering if her voice box would ever give out with how much screaming she did.

"I was not going to allow Sirius' friend to go back to an empty home. She's just a child so I saw no harm."

"_She's a muggle child_!" Never before had he been so glad for silencing charms. "It's bad enough that Sirius does not act like the proper Black heir by cavorting with trash but for you to encourage him by allowing that trash to come into a Most Ancient and Noble house-

The glass was slammed on his desk and immediately Walburga quieted. While she was usually the voice of the family, when Orion Rasalas Black spoke, everyone became silent.

"This is my house Walburga. I will bring whomever I wish into it and you will deal with it in a courteous manner. Whether muggle or pureblood, you will treat any of my guests with _respect_." He snarled and Walburga quickly swallowed. "Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes mi' lord." She spat out but he was satisfied to see the fear that danced in her eyes. Waving his wand and canceling the charm, she took the silent dismissal for what it was and vacated the room. Orion finished his drink and quickly followed, while he was sure Walburga would behave for the most part now, he was not as confident that she wouldn't send Kreacher to harm the girl.

Hermione was the first muggle to ever set foot in Grimmauld Place in over two centuries and with the last one having been tortured to death, he wasn't keen on leaving her to her own devices even with Sirius by her side.

He knew she had thought it strange that he had had the cab driver drop them off at Islington Park only to walk two more streets and a block to Grimmauld Place and even more strange that Sirius insisted on blind folding her.

Treating it as just one of Sirius' many quirks, she acquiesced and Orion was amused to see that the etiquette lessons Sirius bemoaned was paying off when the ravenet placed his friend's hands on his arms and he chivalrously led her to his home.

As soon as they were in the door Walburga came out the sitting room to greet them and he thought she would faint at the sight of the brunette pushed behind her son protectively. Sirius had quickly dashed upstairs with Hermione and Orion took Walburga into his study and casted the Muffliato charm before she began her tirade.

Coming into the dining room where Kreacher had placed the food before being ordered to stay out of sight, Orion prayed to Merlin that everything would go well tonight.

* * *

"So _girl_… what did you say your parents did?"

Hermione never knew a simple word such as girl could be said with so much contempt. Sirius sitting right next to her squeezed her hand reassuringly before scowling at his mother who saw at the opposite end of the table. His brother Regulus whom she hadn't been formally introduced to but knew enough from Sirius' stories stared at her curiously despite the reprimands from his mother to eat his food. Orion just ate his food and stared at the wall tiredly and Hermione felt bad yet again.

Clearing her throat she addressed Walburga's question. "My father is a popular cosmetic surgeon while my mother is a socialite and soon to be owner of a chain of hotels." She demurely lowered her eyes after meeting the steely matriarch's gaze and ate some more of the delicious pot roast.

Hermione was relying heavily on her etiquette lessons in order to make a good impression on the woman who all but screamed conservative traditionalist so much so that Orion had complimented her manners despite a sharp look from his wife.

"What's a cosmetic s-surgeon?" Regulus asked curiously. He knew Sirius had brought home a muggle friend and he was nearly dying to ask her so many questions. Regulus had been so disappointed when his father had took him aside and told him to mindful that he couldn't reveal anything about the Wizarding world since it was bad enough she was in a Wizarding home.

The six year old blushed when the brown haired girl graced him with a small smile. "A person who makes people look more beautiful." She said, trying to break it down simple for the young boy.

"Mama you should go see a co-cos-cosmetic surgeon too!" Regulus said excitedly, not quite realizing what he was saying. Sirius snorted and nearly spat out his water, Hermione's eyes widened, Orion disguised his laughter as a cough and if possible, Walburga's scowl deepened.

At seeing he made his older brother laugh, Regulus assumed he did a job well done and happily dug into his food, the picture of child-like innocence.

"Perhaps it would be more beneficial for Sirius' _friend_ to go see a cosmetic surgeon herself? She would certainly benefit greatly from a visit."

The table suddenly froze and even little Regulus stopped at the frigid voice that cut through the air. Hermione bit her lip and quickly grasped Sirius' hand before he shot up out his seat. She shook her head at him and Sirius settled for a glare. Walburga sipped her wine daintily but her dark- almost black- eyes never left the brunette sitting by her son.

The Black matriarch had seen a weakness and she intended on exploiting it. The muggle girl needed to learn her place.

"Tis almost a shame that two, I'm sure, very attractive people were stuck with such a horrid- looking daughter." She swirled the red liquid in the silver goblet encrusted with small blood rubies and ignored her husband's warning look. "No wonder they didn't want to take you with them."

Hermione tried, she really did, but Walburga's words were so close to what her mother and father said to her and what others had said when they thought she wasn't paying attention at the few social gatherings she had been to. The past three weeks she had been with Sirius had allowed her to somewhat forget that she really was unattractive looking especially in comparison to her friend.

Sirius was really her _only_ friend and she _knew_ there was a stark difference between them but he hadn't seemed to care about that. But if his mother was saying all these things, she knew that eventually he would agree and leave her alone.

"Mother, stop being such a _bitch_."

Hermione's eyes flew open just as Walburga let out a shriek and Orion grabbed her before she pulled out something from her sleeves and Regulus looked at his brother in shock. Sirius had a dark look on his face as grabbed her wrist and pulled Hermione away from the table. Walburga was up and thrashing in her husband's arms as she waved around what looked like a thin stick.

"How dare you speak to me that way?! I will not tolerate that type of disrespect from you!" She screamed, a vein popping out her forehead.

"You had no right to speak to Hermione that way!" Sirius yelled back and Hermione felt tears prick her eyes. No one had ever defended her before.

"You stupid boy! You're siding with a muggle?!" Before Hermione could ponder the meaning of that word, Walburga waved her stick and food and tableware began flying from off the table at them. After nearly getting her head taken off by a whizzing silver plate, Hermione ducked to the ground taking Sirius with her.

Her heart lurched as she saw little Regulus hiding underneath the table bawling as he watched the scene with horrified eyes.

"Stay down there Reg!" Sirius yelled before dodging a fork that was aiming for his face. Soon there wasn't anything left on the table for them to dodge and Sirius pulled Hermione to her feet, both of them panting as they eyed Walburga warily.

She had broken free of her husband and both were facing each other with sticks in their hands. Orion had a long red scratch on the side of his face while Walburga's dark blue dressing gown was rumpled and her long black hair was falling out of its previous perfect chignon. She flicked a dark lock of hair out her eyes before a sudden smirk crossed her face causing her husband and son to stiffen as if they had read her thoughts.

"Kreacher, get her out of my house." She said coldly. Hermione screamed as a small _thing_ with a floppy bat-like ears and a bulbous snout-like nose popped into existence next to her and pulled her by her hair.

"Let go of me! Sirus!" Hermione cried as her friend was blasted back a few feet by the creature and was clumsily trying to scramble back on his feet.

"Mistress ordered Kreacher to take out the trash! Kreacher does as Mistress says!" The creature said gleefully, tugging at each word despite Hermione's swinging arms. Walburga trained her wand on her husband, even though Orion was the master of the house, Kreacher was bonded to her. If she didn't wish for Kreacher to listen to a particular one of Orion's orders, then he wouldn't.

"Let go of me!" Hermione yelled as she grabbed onto her hair so the Kreacher thing wouldn't tear it out. It only laughed gleefully at her struggles and pulled harder. Hermione felt pressure building and it seemed like there was no air in the room causing her to take even more panicky breaths.

Her chest and head was hurting so she closed her eyes trying to keep it from coming out but it was no use. Everything was beginning to slow down as she twisted her body in order to face the thing that wouldn't release her hair.

"I said let go!" She screamed and time sped up again as she thrust out her hand and the pressure traveled from her stomach up her through her chest down the length of her arm before finally being released. Kreacher's wide eyes got even more impossibly bigger as what seemed like an invisible wall hit him.

Everyone watched as he flew back and crashed through the window into the back gardens before all eyes were on Hermione who sank to the floor when her knees could no longer hold her weight and buckled. She looked almost physically sick as she took at her trembling hands and perspiration ran down the side of her face.

"I-I am s-sorry!" She stammered. Her heart felt like it was going to beat out her chest it was going so fast. "P-please I didn't mean to! I know I-I am a-a f-freak but I d-didn't mean for m-my freakiness to come out!"

She knew that they would all scream and call her an abomination and say she wasn't normal. Her parents had warned her explicitly not to do weird stuff in public, they would be positively livid when they heard about this.

"Hermione," Orion said carefully but tersely, keeping his eye on his shocked wife. "Has things like that happened before?"

She nodded weakly. "I made broke a window and m-made the shards fix themselves back into a new window. And I made a b-book from the top shelf in the library f-float down into my hand. But I don't know how I do it honest!"

She looked at the ground resignedly as she waited for the yelling and accusations.

"Fix the window then."

Hermione looked up sharply and looked at Walburga who was eyeing her with a mixture of suspicion, slight hostility, shock and curiousness.

"What?!" She yelled, forgetting her manners. Walburga raised her eyebrow as she straightened up and continued to look at Hermione.

"You heard me." Walburga said evenly. "You broke my window so fix it now."

Hermione bit her lip and looked at the wrecked glass panes before closing her eyes. The pressure was beginning to build again but it wasn't as wild and unrestrained since she was now seeking it out instead of trying to suppress it. She was shocked by how _right_ it felt and her very soul seemed to hum as if a piece of it had come home. Once she was sure she had a firm grip Hermione released it as she waved her hand and everyone gasped as the glass shards rose and arranged themselves back into a seamless glass window.

"Just as I thought." Walburga said before putting her stick back into her sleeve and sweeping out the dining room without looking back. Orion said he would return as he went after his wife, leaving the three children in the wrecked room.

"I knew it! I knew it!" Regulus yelled as he came out from underneath the table and ran to give a bewildered Hermione a hug. Sirius looked at her proudly and Hermione was never more confused. Why wasn't anyone screaming or calling her a freak?

"What's going on?" She asked and Regulus laughed at the muddled expression on her face. Sirius smiled and held out a hand to help her off the floor. His grey eyes were glowing in the light of the setting sun and Hermione found herself tentatively smiling back at her beaming friend.

"Hermione," Sirius smiled brightly, "You're a _witch_."

* * *

So how does everyone like my Marauder-verse? The thing about this universe is that there isn't necessarily a Voldemort. There is however much discrimination against muggles and muggle-borns, perhaps more so depending on later chapters than in JKR's Potter-verse.

:-:-:-:-

As you can see Marauder!Hermione has self-esteem issues especially when it comes to her looks. I didn't mean to purposely make her ugly as two of my reviewers pointed out and I tried to clear that up when Marauder!Orion said she was going through the awkward duckling phase most kids seem to hit as you get closer to puberty. The whole point of this story is the different Harry Potter characters dealing with things all children go through as they grow into adults including looks, issues with family, friends, school, heartbreak, crushes etc.

Marauder!Orion reminds me of Arthur as he's very interested in muggle inventions but he still has a pureblood image to uphold. He's the reason how/why Sirius became so interested in the muggle world and I've yet to really read any fanfiction that really involve Orion. Even though Walburga blasts Sirius off the tree in Potter-verse, Orion must not have formally disowned Sirius so to me it seems as if he does have affection for his eldest son. Plus I needed at least one adult who actually cares about their child.

Marauder!Walburga is a bitch. But I have plans for her.

Marauder!Sirius I havent gone much in depth with him as I have with Marauder!Orion and Marauder!Hermione but next chapter will be from mostly his point of view. As you can see he and Marauder!Walburga have issues but his attitude also doesnt help the situations either. I know if my child called me a bitch, shit would get real. But he's also protective of his friends and doesnt like to see them get hurt which is why he said what he said.

Marauder!Regulus is so cute and innocent right? Kids say the damnest things and are none the wiser.

:-:-:-:-

Maybe one or two more chapters until Marauder!Sirius and Marauder!Hermione are off to Hogwarts! So many possibilities! But if any of you guys have any childhood angst or situations you went through as you grew up please drop it in a review! I'm trying to go through their Seventh Year at the least so there's alot I can do. Also, if I mess up with spells, locations etc please let me know. I'm relying on fanfiction, movies and harry wikia so I know I'm bound to mess up.

Anyone interested in being a beta?

:-:-:-:-

Your reviews channel my imagination

-Verdant


	3. Chapter 3

He had asked his father if he loved his mother once.

Orion had given him an indulgent smile in the face of a six year old boy's curiosity, patted him on the head and turned back to his paperwork.

Sirius never asked him again.

The voices of his parents arguing drifted through the thin walls of the old Black residence and Sirius turned on his side and squeezed his eyes shut. Before, the house had seemed as if it was encased in a block of ice, chilling its occupants to their magical cores. Chilly nods of acknowledgement, words only spoken when necessary, and emotions frozen behind their eyes.

He would rather be a muggle and be on fire than be a pureblood with ice in his veins.

His father meant well and he seemed to encourage his wildness. As if he was too old to be unthawed but wanted Sirius to keep moving, to keep the fire in his blood burning violently to ward off the chill of Grimmauld Place. Sometimes Orion would even melt temporarily and place his attention on his eldest son, creating some of the best moments in Sirius' short life.

But his father couldn't keep the fire in his veins burning.

Sirius had wondered if his mother would ever unfreeze herself. If she ever deemed him worthy of the slightest bit of her attention, he would flinch at the icy stare she would bestow upon him. He figured out that if he caused mischief, Walburga would lose her coolness and shriek until her face turned red and for a few glorious moments she seemed to spit fire.

However Regulus was just his normal clingy self and Walburga would coo and cater to his every whim, giving him all of her attention and energy. Sirius couldn't help the resentful feeling that welled in his throat that his mother didn't do the same for him of her own free will.

Sirius turned again in his bed and rubbed his eyes furiously. He was Sirius Black; he didn't need his mother to love him. But he couldn't deny that he wanted her to.

Orion's raised voice echoed and Sirius sighed before sliding out of bed. There was no chance he would be able to sleep tonight. Ever since Hermione had come a few weeks ago, the house had seemed to have begun melting, resulting in everyone's emotions to go haywire. He had never heard his parents argue like they had been since he brought his best friend to his home. Usually his father would defer to whatever decision his mother made another fact that made Sirius grow frustrated.

If that was how a marriage was supposed to work, he never wanted to get married.

Sirius tiptoed to his closet and changed out his sleeping robes into a pair of muggle jeans and a black V-neck t-shirt with his favorite lizard skin boots before moving back to his bed quietly. You never knew where Kreacher was lurking about and the house-elf still had a grudge against him ever since Hermione blasted him out the window. He would take a great pleasure in reporting what he was about to do to his mother and he wasn't quite sure whether his father would agree either.

Sirus reached under his pillow and grinned as he held his wand up in the glow of the moonlight. It was 11 ¾ inches long and made of ebony wood with a unicorn tail hair. It was unusual in that it had a square handle and silvery symbols and designs carved in it.

It suited his non-conformist attitude when compared to the rest of his pure-blood family though Walburga must not have known what ebony wood said about its owners. She had looked smug when the dealer in Knockturn Alley had pulled it out and the wand chose Sirius since its dark coloring suggested a dark nature.

Usually children didn't receive their wands until they were off to Hogwarts at age eleven but many pureblood families who had the money would get their children's wands early so that they could practice magic and have an edge over the other students. Especially since most of their ancestral homes had wards that prevented the Ministry from knowing that children were practicing their magic.

Sirius shuffled over to his window and unlatched it, wincing when its rusty hinges creaked. He pointed his wand at the broom shed a few yards away and summoned his broom. Smiling brightly when he caught it, Sirius mounted the broom and fell out his window.

Moments later, the Black heir was flying up and around the house before taking off into the starry night, letting out a whoop of glee once he was sufficiently away. He rode silently for a moment as he allowed the slightly chilled wind to clear his mind and settle his tumultuous feelings. When he couldn't sleep, riding his broom at night would calm and tire him out enough so that as soon as he returned to his room, he could fall straight asleep without anything plaguing him.

Seeing the familiar house, Sirius steered his broom towards it, hoping that his best friend was awake and that she wouldn't freak out too bad at seeing him ride a broom. She had taken it rather well when she found out she was a witch although she was a bit skeptical still. He suspected she would stay that way until she received her Hogwarts letter, after all, it was one thing to be told that you were a witch but another when you had real physical evidence.

Sirius hovered right outside what Hermione had said was the window to her bedroom when he and his father had took her home and he felt slightly elated when he saw she was sitting in a chair in the far corner reading a well-worn book.

He lightly tapped on the window and Hermione looked up startled and her brown eyes widened upon seeing her friend wave at her from a third floor window. She put her book down and unlatched the window, sputtering when Sirius glided in on his broom.

"My dear lady, I am so terribly sorry to call on you at this late hour but I found myself in wanting on your company tonight." Sirius said dramatically and Hermione rolled her eyes good naturedly.

"You flew all the way here?" Hermione asked and pointed to the corner by her previously vacated spot to place his broom. Sirius nodded and Hermione sat awkwardly on her bed. She had never had anyone in her room before so she didn't quite know the proper etiquette for such a situation.

She had seen certain shows on the telly and read some books about male-female interactions and even though Sirius was a handsome boy, he was her best friend so certain things she didn't care much about. Plus, for heaven's sake she was only ten!

Similarly, Sirius was also feeling awkward because like Hermione, he had never had a real friend before so he wasn't sure how to act especially since he was a pureblood and all his manners were screaming at him for being in a girl's room unattended despite said girl being his best friend.

"Do you want to watch the telly?" Sirius cocked his head to the side and Hermione was reminded that from what she had been told, the Wizarding world was quite behind in terms of technology. She motioned to the wooden box standing in the middle of the room and once they both were settled, Sirius' mind was blown away from what he saw.

This 'telly' thing was like Wizarding photos only the pictures lasted longer and he could actually hear voices! His father would be drop dead when he saw what else the muggles had created!

"I see someone is enjoying himself." Hermione teased when Sirius' eyes didn't blink for a few minutes and he grinned sheepishly back at her. Hermione grabbed the remote and flipped through a few channels before she saw that one of her favorite movies, _West Side Story_, was on.

She scampered out the room as the beginning credits rolled and returned a few minutes later with two bottles of milk and a bowl of buttery popcorn that she had to moderate Sirius on so he didn't eat it all before the movie really began.

Together the two children watched entranced as Tony and Maria sung and danced their way into love despite their differences and backgrounds. Sirius laughed as Hermione sung along to the musical numbers and he took note of some of the Muggle fashion wear because he definitely saw himself fitting in with the people of Hermione's world.

There was no doubt in his mind that she would fit in his world, she was already a part of it.

* * *

"Mother isn't going to be happy if she finds out you've been flying to Hermione's house these past few weeks."

Sirius looked over his shoulder and fixed his brother with a slightly cool stare.

"Is she going to find out?" Sirius asked softly and Regulus stepped out the shadows and allowed the moonlight to highlight his features that were so similar to his elder brother's.

"Not from me she won't." Sirius visibly slumped in relief before he nodded his thanks to his brother. The fighting between his mother and father seemed to get worse every night and it was spilling out during the day time as well, putting a strain on the two brother's relationship. Regulus who was Walburga's favorite and Sirius who was Orion's favorite when he had time which he hadn't had lately.

He had been using every excuse he could to avoid being home and that only fueled the screaming Walburga did when he finally did return at odd hours of the morning. Sirius took to either meeting Hermione at the park or staying hidden in the library or his room when his mother was in particularly foul mood and forbade him from leaving.

This only made him hate his mother even more at the thought of Hermione being at the park by herself waiting for him to come. That's part of the reason he went to her home every night; to apologize and to get some peace.

"Take me with you Siri." Regulus startled him out his thoughts and he looked incredulous at his younger brother. For a second he actually entertained the thought. He would love to introduce Regulus to the Muggle world, to tellies and records and scandalous clothes that would make their mother's eyes pop out.

But as he looked at his soft brother who was so small for his age who peered up at him through his bangs, he knew he couldn't. He was strong and he had been defiant from the womb. The healers at St. Mungo's had said Walburga wouldn't be able to carry him to full term and he came out kicking and screaming and healthy as ever.

Regulus however, was much too innocent and soft hearted to ever go against their parents, let alone their mother. He was the one she doted on and constantly filled his mind with visions of grandeur and pure blood notions. Regulus wouldn't be able to handle the punishments and disdain that came with the reality of being a rebel. Nor did Sirius want that type of life for his baby brother. So long as Regulus had Walburga's love, he would be safe.

"Please Sirius." Regulus said again insistent as he saw he was seriously thinking about taking him but his heart sank as Sirius smiled sadly. "Go back to bed Reg. I'll see you in the morning."

Regulus didn't know if it was the fact that his big brother didn't take him along that broke his heart or that his brother didn't turn around to look at him even once.

* * *

_The warden threw a party in the county jail._

_The prison band was there and they began to wail._

_The band was jumpin' and the joint began to swing._

_You should've heard those knocked out jailbirds sing._

_Let's rock, everybody, let's rock._

_Everybody in the whole cell block_

_was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock._

_Spider Murphy played the tenor saxophone,_

_Little Joe was blowin' on the slide trombone._

_The drummer boy from Illinois went crash, boom, bang,_

_the whole rhythm section was the Purple Gang._

_Let's rock, everybody, let's rock._

_Everybody in the whole cell block_

_was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock._

Both Hermione and Sirius froze in the middle of dancing and jumping around to her record of Jailhouse Rock by Elvis Presley, an American muggle artist Sirius adored. Hermione had decided to introduce Sirius to muggle music and the young boy couldn't seem to get enough of it, begging Hermione every day to go to the record store to buy new music for them to listen to.

Despite how precarious a situation they could be in, Hermione couldn't help but giggle as she walked towards her bedroom door. Sirius was frozen on top of her rumpled bed in the middle of swinging his hips around.

One of Hermione's brown leather cowboy hats dangled on his head and the corn pipe he had had in his mouth had fallen out as his eyes widened in slight fear. Hermione pointed to the bottom of her bed and Sirius quickly snatched the corn pipe up and shuffled under her bed.

Once she was sure he couldn't be seen, Hermione opened her door only for her smile to dim slightly at her mother's disgruntled look.

"What are you doing jumping around at three in the morning?" Emma asked sharply and Hermione just shook her head, knowing it was a rhetorical question. She had learned that the hard way.

"I hope you have all this energy later today for your language lessons and dance class young lady. Now I think it's high time that you go to sleep." Emma started to leave but she stopped and looked in the room sharply. Hermione held her breath, praying that her mother hadn't seen Sirius.

Emma seemed to think better of it and without a backwards glance at her daughter, she left and Hermione closed her door and locked it as an afterthought. Sirius slid out from underneath the bed and both children shared a look before dissolving into laughter.

* * *

Regulus had always wanted to be like his older brother.

Who wouldn't? Sirius, for all his brash behavior, was humorous, loyal and he wasn't afraid to stick up for his beliefs despite the consequences they might bring. Even their father preferred to spend his time with Sirius when he did have moments to spare for his family. His mother said it was only because Sirius was the Black heir but he wasn't so sure. His mother said a lot of things he was not too sure about, that he was the true Black heir and he would be the one to lead their family to even more greatness.

Regulus didn't want to lead anyone. He knew that he wouldn't be able to handle the pressure their mother kept putting on him and that one day he would crack. But he wasn't Sirius; he couldn't just shake off the weight of familial duty and handle the penalties as he did.

He both admired and envied his brother for that.

However, it was envy that was taking over his heart as he stood in the shadows of his brother's room as Sirius once again left him behind as he went to see Hermione. It wasn't fair how Sirius would come home every morning and he could see the peace and happiness in his eyes while he himself stewed in resentment.

Regulus didn't even know when he became so angry at his brother; it was like all the years of his mother's whispering in his ears had finally caught up. He didn't think it was right at all that Sirius got to sneak out and he didn't. Also, for all the greatness of the Muggle culture Sirius loved, there were dangerous muggles out there that would not hesitate hurt his brother.

What if Hermione was one of them? Sure they had discovered she was a witch but she had no real ties to the Wizarding world, and being a muggle-born witch it was doubtful she'd ever really truly belong or hold real loyalty to Sirius. It was clear to him that he had to do something to protect his elder brother.

He kept all this in mind even as he tried not to flinch every time he heard Sirius cry out from the Slapping hex his mother used. He stood quietly in the doorway of Sirius' bedroom as Walburga calmly used the hex twice more before sliding her wand into the sleeve of her robes.

"If I hear of you sneaking out to meet the muggle-born girl again, you will be punished once again Sirius. It is one thing to meet her at the park, but I will not have you be further tainted by spending time in a Muggle home." Walburga paused and affectionately rubbed Regulus' head as she bid him to follow her downstairs. "Be glad that was all I did. In my youth we were punished using _Crucio_. You should think of that before you disobey me next time."

She glided down the hallway and Regulus made to follow her but he couldn't help taking a look at his brother to see if he was alright. He hadn't meant for that to happen when he told his mother that Sirius had been sneaking out every night to see Hermione, he just thought that she would charm his windows to stay locked or something.

It was Sirius' own fault anyways. If he had just taken him along to Hermione's house, none of this would have happened, he would've never told. Sirius brought it on his self and he refused to feel guilty.

Regulus nearly flinched at the look of rebellious hot fury in Sirius' eyes but he matched it with a haughty look he had seen his mother use many a time. One day his brother would go too far and the consequences would too severe for even him to handle. Regulus was just trying to save his brother. There was a time to be insubordinate and a time to be submissive. Sirius would learn that lesson hopefully sooner than later.

"Come Regulus." His mother called from down the hall with a small bit of warmth she reserved only for him. The young boy nodded and hurried down the hall, hugging her around the waist and buried his smile in her robes as she gently cradled him back. He took her hand and they left the third floor.

If no one else loved him at least his mother did.

* * *

Disclaimer: I own nothing and claim nothing of Elvis Presley's works.

:.:.:.:.

A bit more insight into the Black family dynamics as well as more friendship moments for Marauder!Sirius and Marauder!Hermione. I hope this chapter will help clarify the characters' later decisions as I also added my own interpretation as to why Sirius and Regulus had a bad relationship in canon as well as the reason for his womanizing ways that most people have in their stories that involve him.

Alittle more insight into Marauder!Regulus' mind and you can see I tried to base his personality off what canon and other fanfiction have suggested. Sibling rivalry and jealousy. Hopefully Regulus will grow out of it but then again maybe he won't. We shall see.

And yes I do believe pure blood children could get their wands earlier especially through their parents influence and money and I decided I wanted wards to be the reason why the Ministry never says anything about pure blood children using magic outside of Hogwarts but they seem to have a better grasp of magic than some of the other children.

:.:.:.:.

Also, I made a slight mistake as I made Hermione and Sirius nine years old at this time, but then I said in Chapter Two that Sirius would be going to Hogwarts next Spetember but as both of the children's birthdays are in the Fall, they would not receive their Hogwarts letter in time. My fault, so instead both of them are ten years old.

I believe one more chapter to go and then off to Hogwarts. I really cannot wait. If anyone sees any inconsistencies, mistakes etc. please let me know (No flames please) as I know I dont catch everything when I try to edit on my own. So please enjoy and please please please review!

:.:.:.:.

Is anyone interested in being a beta for this story? Please PM me if you are.

:.:.:.:.

A shout out to my reviewer** The 13th Heart**. I am so very sorry you had to deal with that in your life and I sincerely hope that life is treating a lot better now and that any damage you may have received has not prevented you from having the happiness that everyone deserves.

:.:.:.:.

Your reviews channel my imagination

- Verdant


End file.
